Garreg Mach Ghosthunters
by HopelessRomantic1020
Summary: After a string of missing personal items results in the loss of a delicious set of honey cakes—and rumors of a ghost haunting the monastery begin to spread—an astute young prodigy and her friends will band together to bring the culprit to justice. Cross-posted from Ao3. Three-parter.
1. The Discovery

Lysithea had always prided herself on being a mature, rational young woman. Her grades were among the highest in the Golden Deer—nay, the entire Officers Academy—and her magical prowess was unparalleled. Even some of the more magically inclined students would come to her for assistance from time to time, and it did Lysithea's heart good to know that the taller students still managed to look up to her. Due to this, she prided herself on always maintaining a level head and not once losing her cool.

"WHAT?! What do you mean you're out of honey cakes?!"

… Until now.

"Yeah... it's more baffling than anything else, really," the woman at the other end of the counter said. "What's really tragic is that we had a fresh set baked just this morning, but they practically vanished out of thin air. I swear, you turn your back for two seconds and…"

Large pink eyes grew even wider as Lysithea stood unmoving, mouth agape. How could this be?! An entire set of honey cakes… gone, just like that? It defied any and all logic.

Annette, who had been standing behind her at the time, kept a smile on her face even as it faltered ever so slightly. It was no secret that she too enjoyed sweets—something she and Lysithea had bonded over—but she strove to maintain a positive attitude all the same. "Oh... That's too bad. Oh, well. C'mon, Lysithea, let's go—"

"No." Lysithea shook her head with a defiant scowl. "Something is wrong here. Honey cakes don't just go missing like that! It defies any and all logic. One set is typically comprised of at least twelve cakes, and thirteen on a good day. No one person could eat that many in such a short amount of time without leaving so much as a crumb!"

She turned back to the now slightly amused lunch lady. "Do you happen to have any more information? Was the platter itself left behind? Any footprints or fingerprints anywhere they shouldn't have been?"

"Look, kid, all we know for sure is that the cakes up and vanished. Though now that you mention it... we never did get the platter back either. Weird."

"H-Hey! I'm not a kid!"

The line behind them was beginning to pile up, so Annette grabbed a few plates of food for herself and Lysithea before urging her to follow. "So sorry about my friend here. Have a nice day!"

"I just don't get it!" Lysithea blurted, elbows on the table as she ran her hands frantically through her white hair. Annette sat on her left munching a sandwich, and Mercedes and Ashe sat across from them as they listened to Lysithea's ramblings with great intrigue. "Who could possibly devour that many cakes in such a short period of time?! I mean, I could, of course, but obviously I didn't if I'm only just now finding out about this! Who's to blame for such a crime against humanity?!"

A bead of sweat formed on Mercedes's head. "Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little bit, Lysithie? Come, now; your soup is getting cold."

"This isn't even the first time something's gone missing this week," Ashe said. "Why, just yesterday Bernadetta was crying about misplacing her sewing needle, Sylvain was going on and on about a lost tube of lipstick, and Dorothea..."

He trailed off, blushing. "Ah... w-well, perhaps the less said the better..."

"How peculiar. Has anyone asked the twins about it? Professors Byleth and Byletta often come across lost or misplaced items while they're roaming the monastery."

"No one's seen hide nor hair of them in days." Annette shook her head, frowning. "It's really weird... I hope they're both okay."

Lysithea rested her hand on her chin, eyes closed as she racked her brain. "Very strange indeed... Still, what would they want with my honey cakes? They've never really been one for sweets. I know of only two people here at the monastery who on average eat more food than anybody else..."

There was a loud uproar of laughter from a nearby table as she whirled her head around to glare at the duo in question. Caspar and Raphael were having a loud and lengthy conversation over lunch, and quite a large lunch at that if the mountains on their plates were any indication.

"Aha!" Lysithea rose from her seat and stormed over to their table, anger bubbling within her. Concerned with keeping the peace, Annette and Mercedes got up as well, dragging a still-hungry Ashe with them.

"Oh, hey, Lysithea!" Caspar greeted once he spotted her, pointing a thumb towards his plate. "Want a chicken leg?"

"'Oh, hey' yourself!" she yelled, putting her hands on her hips. She glared at the boys with those frightening pink eyes of hers. "Do either of you mind explaining the conspicuous lack of honey cakes in the dining hall today?"

"They're out of honey cakes?!" Raphael gasped. "No way! What happened? Did they run out of ingredients?"

Lysithea narrowed her eyes at him. "No. They made a fresh set this morning, but they disappeared! I know of only two other people at this academy capable of eating such a large number of sweets in such a short amount of time. Do you know what that means?"

"Uh…" Caspar scratched his head. "I dunno. Is Ingrid one of 'em? She looks kinda slim, but she can put away food like nobody's business!"

"... Three. That's three people I know."

"I don't understand, Lysithea," Annette said, frowning. "Did someone really eat them all? Wouldn't there be a trail of crumbs or something? The lady even said that they couldn't find the platter afterwards, but... What would someone want with that?"

"Maybe they wanted to get rid of the evidence." Caspar immediately grew livid at his own suggestion. "Gahh, that rots! Those cakes were meant to be for everyone, and some jerk stole 'em all for himself! When I find him, ooh boy..."

Ashe shrugged. "From what you told us, Lysithea, there were no signs of a struggle. I seriously doubt one of the chefs would just throw them out or take them out of the dining hall when they shouldn't have."

"Ooh, I know!" Annette perked up, clapping her hands together. "Maybe the culprit used magic to spirit the cakes away! If there's no physical evidence, then—"

"Clue number one," Mercedes chimed in, "the suspect is a phantom!"

Lysithea froze in her tracks, fear overcoming her senses as the dreaded thought filled her mind. "A… a phantom...?"

"Oh, that's right, I forgot," Raphael said with a friendly grin. "You're afraid of ghosts, aren't you, Lysithea? Well don't you worry; if I find the ghost responsible, I'll give 'em something to chew on! And it won't be food, I tell you what!"

"G-g-ghost?! There's no ghosts here! I'm not scared of ghosts that don't exist!"

Mercedes stifled a giggle as Annette and Ashe exchanged a knowing glance. The redhead was the first to speak up with a determined expression. "Well, we're not gonna bring the culprit to justice by sitting around talking! Let's ask around the monastery and search for clues!"

"Huh?" Lysithea asked. "You… you guys are gonna help me?"

"Of course!" Ashe nodded. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. "I just... hope we're not actually dealing with a ghost here, haha."

"Yeah! And if we are, I'll protect all of you!" Raphael yelled, flexing his biceps.

"Me too! I ain't afraid of no ghost!" Caspar shouted, jumping to his feet. He turned to his right where Linhardt was sitting, face resting against his arms as he slumped over. "C'mon, Lin! Let's go nab us a pastry thief!"

Linhardt opened one eye, stared at his companions, and then shut it once more. "No."

"Er… Right. Then I guess it's just the six of us then!"

Mercedes shifted uncomfortably, and Annette picked up on the oddity at once. "Mercie? What's wrong?"

"Well," she began, "I would like to help you all with your investigations, but I already made an arrangement to meet Shamir in the training grounds for archery practice. I'm really sorry, everyone…"

"Aw… well, that's okay, Mercie! Wouldn't wanna keep her waiting, after all. Have fun!"

Mercedes giggled. "Hee hee… I will. Well, I'm afraid I must be off. I wish the rest of you luck!"

She left the dining hall with a spring in her step, humming a tune all the while as she left Lysithea and the others to their devices. Caspar placed his fist and his palm and said, "Alright, team! If we're gonna work together on this one, we're gonna have to have some sort of team name. I volunteer Caspar and the Casparettes!"

"Eww! No!" Annette protested, scrunching her face up. "How about… the Clue Crew? Cause we're gonna be looking for clues and stuff!"

Raphael shrugged with a grin. "I kinda like that one. What about Brawns and Brains? Cause you three got the brains, and Caspar and I got the brawns!"

"Um…" Ashe shifted in place. "What about… Ghosthunters?"

Lysithea nodded with a grin, folding her arms. "Ghosthunters… I love it! There's no way they stand a chance against us with such an indicative name! … Not that I believe in ghosts or the like, of course."

"Then it's decided!" Annette grinned. "From here on out, the five of us shall be known as the Garreg Mach Ghosthunters!"

"Ngh... roll credits..." Linhardt mumbled in his sleep.

One by one, each of the five newly established Ghosthunters placed their hands in the center, with Lysithea's being at the very top. They then threw their hands into the air and let out a cheer.

"Right!" Lysithea said, calming down as her face grew serious once more. "So, what's our first order of business?"

"I think we should split up and ask around for information," Ashe suggested with a smile. "I can ask Ingrid if she had anything to do with the honey cakes, but there are other students who've reported missing items as of late."

"Leave it to me!" Raphael stood up straight. "I can run around and ask the other Golden Deer if they've lost anything! I mean, maybe the ghost's been targeting more than one person!"

"I-it's not a ghost!" Lysithea argued. "I just... went along with the team name to ward off any potential ones, that's all. N-not that they exist!"

"Yeah, yeah, enough chitchat!" Caspar clenched his fists and grinned. "I'm gonna rally the other Black Eagles and see if they know anything! Edelgard and Hubert are kinda spooky at times, so maybe they know! See ya in a bit, team!"

Caspar immediately sprinted out of the dining hall, with Raphael following soon afterwards. That just left a baffled Lysithea with Ashe and Annette, the latter looking even more cheerful than usual as she bounced up and down.

"Ooh! Can I come up with our theme song, Lysithea?"

"... What? Why do we need a theme song?"

"Uh…" Annette paused, wringing her hands together as her cheeks grew red. "Um… w-well, for morale, of course! Plus I hear that singing makes you more likely to catch a thief!"

Lysithea gave her an uncertain look. "That doesn't make any sense..."

She changed her tune once she saw Annette's pout, complete with puppy dog eyes. "... But okay! Sure!"

"Awesome!" Annette perked up once more, leaving her friend to question whether or not her sadness was genuine. "Just give me a little more time and I'll have one ready."

"Lovely." Lysithea turned to Ashe. "In the meantime, can I ask you to check the greenhouse and fishing pond for clues, Ashe?"

"You can count on me!" Ashe nodded, taking on a determined expression. "I'll leave no stone unturned!"

"Wonderful! Meet us back here in the evening for dinner. If I know Caspar and Raphael, they'll be here too. We can discuss the information we gathered while we eat."

"Sounds good to me! See you back here in a few hours!"

The dining hall was growing more and more crowded as the lunch hour hit, causing Lysithea to drag a brainstorming Annette outside by the arm. "C'mon, Annette! There's no time to waste! There's a pastry thief on the loose, and I won't stop until I catch them and bring them to justice!"

"I'm with you, Lysithie!"


	2. The Investigation

**I know this isn't a _Yes, I Remember _update (obviously) but this one's been eating at me and I promise it'll be out soon enough. With regards to this story though, we're halfway there!**

* * *

As Caspar sprinted across the monastery with the speed of a lion and the fury of an agitated boar, his heart and mind raced. He _had _to find out who was responsible for the missing honey cakes! He knew for a fact that he'd been in the training grounds all morning, so it couldn't have been him. Besides, he'd have remembered eating such a delicious treat!

Ashe had already said he would ask Ingrid, and it certainly couldn't have been Raphael. The big guy was always so selfless and friendly! Even at his hungriest, he'd still share his food with someone else if they didn't have any. He would have at least left a few cakes for the others, so Caspar ruled him out without thinking twice.

_Could it have been one of the Black Eagles? Linhardt's too lazy, Dorothea doesn't strike me as the thieving type, and Petra wouldn't dare… _

Caspar paused to catch his breath once he arrived at the dormitories. Resting with his hands on his knees, he looked up and spotted a pair of doors.

Doors he knew all too well.

"Yo, Bernie!" he called, knuckles rapping against one of them. "You got a sec? I wanna talk to you…"

There was a squeak from the other end. "A-aah! Wh-who… Caspar? What do you want? It's Sunday!"

"I just wanna know if you've seen anything resembling a honey cake lately. And I _know _that you lost a sewing needle just the other day. A couple of the others and I think it's all connected. There could be a thief, or ghost, or… thief ghost running around."

"I-I don't know anything! I've been cooped up in here all day, so it couldn't have been me!"

Caspar thought he heard the sound of chewing from behind the door. "Bernie, what's that you got there?"

There was a gulp. "Ah… n-nothing! I'm not eating anything sweet and delicious!"

"_Aha_!" His blood pumped as he clenched his fists. "That sounds like something someone would say if they _were _eating something sweet and delicious! Brace yourself, Bernie-bear; here I come!"

He kicked the doors open without hesitation. Bernadetta squealed and rolled backwards on her bed, covering her head with a nearby book. It was then that Caspar spotted a piece of chocolate cake sitting on a plate near the foot of her bed. "Oh, uh… I guess you weren't eating the honey cakes after all. Well, in that case—AAUGH!"

He recoiled as Bernadetta flung a book at his head. And then another. And another. "Argh! Ouch, hey! Stop it!"

"Monster! Interloper!" she cried, hurling book after book at him through tightly shut eyes. "How _could you, _Caspar?!"

"Ow! Hey, cut it out! I'm sorry! I just thought—yeowch! Oof, that one was a hard-cover…"

Once Bernadetta had eventually run out of books, a battered Caspar collapsed just outside her door. She frantically shut them and screamed out a tearful string of apologies as the boy clutched his side and groaned. "Owowowowow… Okay, so the thief _definitely _wasn't Bernie…"

"What's this about a thief?"

Caspar looked up to see the taller figures of Ferdinand, Petra and Dorothea standing over him with varying expressions of concern. Petra reached over and helped him up to his feet as he nodded in thanks. "Oh, hey everyone. I was just talking to Bern about the missing honey cakes."

Dorothea frowned. "You're gonna have to back up a bit there, Caspar. What's this about missing cakes?"

"You put honey in your _cakes_?" Petra asked, eyes wide in amazement.

Ferdinand smiled. "That we do, dear Petra! It makes for a simply _magnificent_—"

"HEY!" Caspar snapped his fingers. "Focus here! Have any of you lost anything lately? Lots of people have been reporting missing items, and some of us think it's connected to the cakes."

Ferdinand and Petra shook their heads, but Dorothea refused to meet his eye. Caspar raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Dorothea? Don't tell me you misplaced your brooch again!"

"N-no, it's not that!" she blurted, shaking her head as brown curls went flying left and right. Her face reddened. "Um… D-do you remember that, uh… _sweat rag_ you found last week, Caspar?"

A smile graced his face. "Do I ever! Man was it good at wiping up sweat! I don't know where it disappeared to, though…"

Dorothea shut her eyes and groaned inwardly, her cheeks burning with shame. "That wasn't a sweat rag."

"Huh? Then what _was_ that thing, anyway?"

She beckoned him forward with a finger and, once he was close enough, leaned over to whisper in his ear. Caspar's eyes immediately widened in disgust. "Aww, dude! Gross! Do you have any idea how much I used that thing?!"

"Well, _maybe_ you shouldn't clean yourself with things that don't belong to you in the first place!" Dorothea scowled with her hands on her hips. "Honestly, Caspar, you can be such a little turd sometimes!"

"_You're_ a turd!" he challenged, his blood flaring up.

"No, you are!"

"No, _you_!"

The two got into a scuffle, with Dorothea getting the upper hand and trapping him from behind in a headlock. Just as she prepared to give him the noogie of a lifetime, a third party intervened in the form of Petra.

"Dorothea, Caspar, _stop_!" she yelled. With a smile, she exclaimed, "We can _all _be the turds!"

The two exchanged awkward glances before breaking apart from each other and refusing to meet the other's eye, muttering apologies. Ferdinand placed his hand over his forehead and sighed. "I really wish you two would not expose Petra to such common vulgarity…"

"Oh, here he goes with the commoner thing again," Dorothea grumbled. "You know what your problem is, Ferdie?"

"Ugh! This isn't helping me!" Caspar ran his hands through his hair. "I'm still nowhere near close to nabbing the culprit! This is a big deal, you know!"

"Perhaps it was Professor Jeritza," Ferdinand suggested. "He is always skulking about."

"Ooh, he's so aloof and mysterious." Dorothea giggled. "Not sure how I feel about that mask of his, though… It kind of reminds me of a phantom from one of the operas I starred in."

"Jeritza! That's it!" Caspar's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Eagles! I gotta go find him right away!"

Ignoring the protests of his friends, he sprinted off in search of the mysterious masked man known as Jeritza. He couldn't possibly fathom what the combat professor would even want with the cakes, but he had to try. With any luck, perhaps he'd run into Edelgard and Hubert on the way and get some more information out of them.

_Wait... Does Jeritza even eat?_

* * *

"Ingrid!" Ashe yelled, busting into the greenhouse and startling one of the ladies who worked there. "O-oh! Sorry, ma'am. Ingrid, I need to talk... to... you..."

He trailed off as he spotted Ingrid, Dedue and Dimitri tending to the monastery's plants in farmer overalls, complete with straw hats. They all stared at the him even as Dedue continued to water the flowers with his gardening pail.

"Oh, hey, Ashe!" Ingrid waved at him nonchalantly. "Wanna pitch in?"

"You know I'd love to, but I'm on a mission from Lysithea. Did you eat the missing honey cakes?"

Ingrid nearly dropped her bag of fertilizer. "There were honey cakes today?!"

Ashe let out a small sigh. "Well, I guess there's my answer…"

"Have you asked Sylvain?" Dimitri suggested, weeding some of the plants. "Once in a while he gorges himself on sweets after a girl realizes his ulterior motives and rejects him."

"I haven't seen him today, actually…"

Suddenly, the sound of horribly off-key singing could be heard from outside the greenhouse. Ashe walked over to the door and poked his head out to get a better look. Above him, Ingrid, Dimitri and Dedue's heads joined his as they spotted Sylvain stumbling around the fishing pond like a drunkard.

"I wanna know what love issss," he crooned through his tears. The fishkeeper didn't respond even as Sylvain dunked his head into the pond and screamed at its aquatic inhabitants. "I WANT YOU TO SHOW MEEEE!"

"Um…" Ashe frowned in discomfort. "Shouldn't one of us go talk to him?"

"I'll fetch him a towel." Ingrid briefly rolled her eyes before grabbing him by the shoulders. "In the meantime, Ashe, you _have _to find out who's responsible for stealing those cakes. Such vile and greedy people don't belong at the monastery! We need to bring them to justice!"

"I agree, but… What if they weren't actually so bad? Maybe they had a family to feed!"

"Then why not steal something more nutritious and filling than a plate of pastries?" Dimitri asked. "Though I hear even the weeds are edible around Garreg Mach."

"Your Highness…" Dedue closed his eyes and sighed. "_Please_ do not eat the weeds."

"I am _just _saying..."

As Ingrid dragged Sylvain away from the almost certainly traumatized fish (and Dimitri and Dedue began to debate the nutritional value of weeds), Ashe shook his head and started to stroll down the alleyway between the greenhouse and the dormitory. He loved his friends dearly, but he felt no closer to the truth. Worse still, now he was beginning to doubt the intentions of the pastry thief. What if this really _was_ all a big misunderstanding? What if those cakes were spoiled or baked with the wrong ingredient and someone was being a good noodle by throwing them out? But if _that_ was the case, then where did the platter go?

"This is no good," Ashe mumbled, shaking his head. "I wish the professors were here. I bet they'd know what to do."

"Heads?"

"Or tails?"

Ashe nearly leapt out of his skin. Standing farther down the alleyway were Jeralt's black-clad twins, Byleth and Byletta. The two were revered for their fighting and teaching abilities, but their mannerisms outside of that were… odd, to say the least.

"Oh, Professors!" he greeted them in an attempt to calm himself. Their unnerving blue gazes did little to help. "Where have you been? No one's seen either of you since Thursday…"

Byleth shrugged. "The knights required our services."

"Dreadful bit of business, that." Byletta took a step forward, holding a single gold coin between her index finger and thumb. "Heads or tails, Ashe?"

"Uh… come again?"

"With any given coin flip," she said, "the probability of it landing on the side designated 'Head' will invariably be equal to that of it landing on the side designated 'Tail'. A fifty-fifty chance, if you will."

"With _that _mouthful being said," Byleth snarked, "... heads or tails?"

Ashe fumbled with his hands as a chill ran down his spine. "Um… uh… Heads!"

Byletta flipped the coin and slammed it down onto her other hand without missing a beat. Byleth looked over and frowned just a bit. "Damnit."

"Heads it is," she said, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. "I win again, Brother Dearest."

"How peculiar. I thought for sure I'd be the victor this time…"

"Well, there's always _next _time."

"Oh!" Ashe perked up, remembering his mission. "Would either of you happen to know anything about—"

"Missing items? I cannot say," Byletta answered. "What say _you_, Brother?"

"I know nothing about the honey cakes _or _the missing items, thank you very much."

"Oh…" Ashe frowned. "But I didn't say anything about—"

"Good heavens!" Byletta feigned shock. "I just remembered we promised to spar with Felix in the training grounds. Come along, Brother."

"Yes, yes, very good. Goodbye for now, Ashe. Do have a safe Sunday."

The peculiar pair left him standing alone in the alley. He noticed Byletta lean over and whisper to her brother harshly, but Ashe couldn't quite make out the words.

"Well, darn…" He placed his hands in his pockets and kicked a stray pebble off the path. "Now what am I going to do? It's possible that they know something, but… What if they don't? What if it was just a lucky guess? I don't want to accuse them of anything if they're innocent…"

Ashe sighed and shook his head. "I'd better go find the others. Hopefully one of them is closer to the truth than I am…"

* * *

When Raphael made his way to the Golden Deer's classroom, he was shocked to find most of his friends there on a Sunday.

He was even more shocked to see Claude hanging from the ceiling in a cocoon. Hilda and Leonie stood on stacked desks next to him with rolls of tape, and all three stared at Raphael with wide eyes.

"Uh… I can explain."

"Woah!" Raphael smiled. I didn't know you were a butterfly, Claude!"

"Heh…" Claude chuckled even as he felt the blood rush to his head. "Well, I always _did _want to spread my wings someday."

"Boooo!" Hilda jeered.

Marianne bowed her head at her desk, praying for Claude's safety. Lorenz scowled at them from his own desk. "Really, Claude. It's rude enough calling yourself heir to the Alliance when no one wants you here, but this is beneath even _you_."

"You're just mad because your barber gave you the old Yee-Yee."

"... Yee-Yee? What does that even mean?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Raphael blurted, no longer sidetracked by his friends' shenanigans. "I just remembered why I came here in the first place. Lysithea wanted us to ask around for clues. Someone's running around stealing food!"

"A pantry thief? At a monastery?!" Leonie was incensed. "That's awful! Who would even do such a thing?"

Hilda climbed down from the desks and yawned, stretching. "Well, it definitely wasn't me."

"Oh, we know," Claude snarked. In a falsetto voice, he added, "_Too much work for little ol' me_!"

"Hey! I don't sound like that at all! Leonie, do I—"

"Yes."

Hilda's jaw dropped. Lorenz suppressed a snicker before turning towards Raphael. "In any case, can we be sure that Lysithea herself did not scarf the pastries down? She _does _have a particular affinity for sugar, you know. It's really quite adorable..."

"Why would Lysithea be making a big stink about this if she was the one who ate them?" Raphael asked. "That doesn't make much sense to me..."

"Mm... I see. What about Ignatz, then?"

"He would never!"

Everyone looked over at Marianne with wide eyes with the exception of a smirking Claude. She immediately blushed when she realized just how forceful she'd been. "Ah... No, I mean—"

Raphael laughed. "No, no, I feel the same way. My buddy Ignatz is way too nice for that sorta behavior! ... Say, where _is _he, anyway?"

"Where else? He's out painting, of course." Leonie snorted. "It's possible he knows something, but I think it's safe to rule him out. He's no thief."

"Mhm..."

Raphael closed his eyes and folded his arms, racking his brain for ideas. Not a single one of the other Deer seemed to know anything about the missing cakes, let alone who might have made off with them. He was by no means afraid of Lysithea, but he and Ignatz knew more than anyone how fiery she could be when frustrated. He didn't want to go to her empty-handed, but he was running out of options...

"Well, now what?" Claude asked from his comfortable position on the ceiling. "You can't just give up, Raphael. What will you do now?"

"I... I think I'm gonna have to regroup with the others. If we put our heads together, we can get through anything!"

"That's the spirit!" Leonie cheered. "And while you and Lysithea are talking, the rest of us can search the monastery for clues!"

"Ugh... That sounds like a _lot _of walking. I'll pass."

"The heck you will!" She grabbed Hilda's arm roughly. "C'mon, Deer! Let's help Raph and Lysithea get some answers!"

"Ouch, hey!" Hilda whined. "Be gentle!"

Lorenz rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "This seems beneath me, but I suppose I cannot let the two of you run unsupervised. You may rely on me."

"And m-me," Marianne said, rising from her chair. "I... I believe we can restore peace to the monastery as long as we have the Goddess and each other."

"Everyone..." Tears welled up in Raphael's eyes, but he wiped them away with the back of his wrist. "That... Thank you, all of you! I know Lysithea's gonna be happy to hear us all working together like a team. Now c'mon, let's go get that pastry thief!"

The Golden Deer let out a cheer and left the classroom, splintering off into different directions and groups as Raphael went searching for Lysithea. All except for the House Leader who had been left in his ceiling cocoon.

"H-hey!" Claude called after them. "Ah, damn it... Guess they all got a bit excited."

Despite his situation, he grinned.

"I'm proud of you, Deer... I'm proud of you."

* * *

Dinner in the dining hall was packed and noisy as always. The self-appointed Ghosthunters gathered at a table to discuss their findings. Caspar had a hunch Professor Jeritza was behind it all, Ashe had noted that his fellow Lions hadn't been particularly helpful, and Raphael and the Deer's attempts at asking around had ultimately garnered no significant clues whatsoever.

"This is _madness_!" Lysithea slammed her palms on the table, her irises smaller than usual. "Why is everyone around the monastery being so secretive? Don't they know how much of a big deal this is?!"

"I couldn't agree more," Annette said with a frown. "We can't just have people stealing sweets and personal belongings! It's horrible! Not to mention really rude..."

Caspar and Raphael said nothing, too preoccupied with the literal mountains of food on their plates. Ashe, meanwhile, shifted in his seat. "Um..."

"Yes, Ashe?"

"Well, uh... I met the professors today, and... they said something weird."

"Byleth and Byletta?" Lysithea raised an eyebrow. "That's... not very unusual for them, to be honest."

Caspar swallowed a piece of steak. "Weren't they on a mission with the knights for a few days?"

"They were, yes." Ashe nodded. "They mentioned both the missing items and the honey cakes, but the weird part is that I _didn't_. You don't suppose they know something?"

Raphael scratched his chin. "That _is _pretty weird, come to think of it..."

"They claim to have been with the knights since Thursday," Lysithea said, "but how many knights did we actually speak to today?"

Their table fell silent, even as the chatter of the tables around them continued. Lysithea found herself at the end of her rope. They'd narrowed down the suspects a considerable amount, but it was hardly a satisfactory amount. She didn't want it to come to this, but now she was left with no alternative.

"Okay," Lysithea said, exhaling through her nostrils. "Tomorrow afternoon, once we're all done with classes... We'll need to interrogate everyone."

"... Huh?" Raphael nearly dropped his fork. "What do you mean everyon—"

"**EVERYONE**!"

The dining hall chatter came to a halt. Lysithea's cheeks flared as she felt all eyes on her, and she turned to the onlookers in annoyance. "What? There's nothing weird going on here! Continue your dinnertime merriment!"

Everyone returned to their meals, and Lysithea's own table was quiet even as Caspar chuckled. "Heh... Right. So you want us to just round up everyone at the monastery and ask them one-on-one, is that right?"

"Yes." She wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Yes, it is."

"That sounds like a lot of work," Annette said, "but we're sure to find out if we do it, right? Then it's a sacrifice worth making!"

Ashe nodded and smiled. "I agree. I think we should start with the people we didn't ask, though. It might be faster that way."

"I couldn't agree more!" Caspar grinned. "I call dibs on being the bad cop!"

"What? No. _I'm _going to be the bad cop, obviously," Lysithea said, folding her arms. "You and Raphael can act as security in case anyone tries to leave."

As the two went back and forth about who would interrogate whom (and Ashe and Raphael attempted to calm the two with promises of food), Annette hummed to herself and rested her hand on her cheek.

_I just wonder what Mercie's up to right now..._


End file.
